Why does this movie get so much respect on the internet? Am I just too young to really appreciate it? Am I just not seeing something everyone else did? Do those who do like it so much have fond memories of watching it as a child? I'm sorry everyone, I just couldn't get into The Beast From Haunted Cave.

A group of robbers blow up a cave to distract everyone in the small town they were previously hanging out in long enough to steal some gold. First problem: There are loads of gold bars waiting around to be stolen, and these fools only take four or five. They haul ass out of there to a flight to Canada awaiting them some distance away. A very big problem arises, however, when it turns out the cave they blew up was home to a monster that appears to be some kind of land-dwelling blood-sucking octopus. It begins pursuing them, while the thieves begin to bicker amongst themselves.

First off, let's talk about the monster. I believe someone on Badmovies.org's own boards once said that it was "simple, yet exotic". Yes, it is quite simple; all the beast really is is some spider-like legs and a hairy, faceless head. But how is that exotic? It also gets only a bare minimum of screentime. Usually all we ever see until the last ten minutes is the back of its head or some legs flailing about.

Now about the acting. Most of the cast did an all-right job. The female lead is actually quite decent. But I couldn't wait for the comic relief guy to get killed. How about the scare factor, then? The creature itself is not at all frightening. There is one very effective jump scene about half way through involving a barmaid and a pair of trees, and the part at the end where all the victims-to-be are stuck against the wall awaiting they're fate is pretty creepy until the monster bobbles in. Any sense of dread or fear is destroyed when this silly thing shows up.

And about the ending. Or the lack of an ending. The film just kind of abruptly finishes. And how much running time is wasted on shots of people just walking along, no creature, no dialogue, nothing? I know these are common in "Corman Quickies", but god damn it, we could have had some more half-dead tavern staff creeping us out!

Over all, The Beast From Haunted Cave isn't a terrible movie. It just isn't as good as the internet B-Movie community says it is.

SCORE: 1/2

« Last Edit: February 25, 2007, 05:58:21 PM by CoreyHeldpen »

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"The only three things I hate are demons, malfunctioning robots, and monster movies that don't show you the monster."

I think that people who like old b monster flicks enjoy the film, if they have seen it. It languished with little exposure until a few years ago when the DVD became available.

Dead on with the observation that the acting is "all-right." They put in a workable performance that does not detract from the film, but neither were they great. I did like the solitary feeling of the cold and empty woods; that came across nicely. Also, and I say this every time the film comes up, the scene in the cave with the thing feeding was down right bone-chilling.

Exotic fits the monster in that it was a guy in a suit, but the combination of wispy covering and extended limbs made it more than just a guy wearing a layer of latex. It is not so uniquely shaped as the monster in "Deadly Spawn," but I still found the effort interesting.